Friday, December 31, 2010

Goodbye, 2010! Hello, 2011!

Location: Couch
Listening to: This British movie about a lady who works at a retirement home
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Make Up Your Mind Day; Unlucky Day; New Years Eve
Welcome to my last blog post of 2010! I know this is pretty much what everyone is doing, but I'd like to recap some of my favorite things of this past year. Thank you all for being so supportive of me and just wonderful people in general. I hope you all have a fantastic 2011!!

Also, I'm thinking of changing up my opening list-y things again. Location is going to stay. "Listening to" might get switched to "Mood", and I have no clue what to do to take place of "Odd Holidays". I'm thinking maybe "Current Obsession". Thoughts? If you have any ideas or any input for me, leave it in the comments. :)

Things I Loved About 2010:

-Starting a blog and meeting all kinds of awesome people.
-Graduating high school.
-Going off to college.
-Meeting a wonderful, wonderful boy.
-This song:
-Singing for a crowd: 
-Huge snowstorms
-Reading great books
-Being alive. :)

What were your favorite things of 2010? Leave them in the comments! I hope you all have a great New Years Eve and a wonderful year-to-come!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas!

Location: Bedroom floor
Listening to: My computer make noises
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Christmas; National Pumpkin Pie Day




Hey everybody! Happy holidays!

I honestly considered going on a huge rant about how commercialized Christmas and the holiday season in general has become, but I figure there are enough people out there doing that. I don't need to be negative. Especially because, at heart, I am a 5-year-old when it comes to Christmas. I love everything about it. The surprise of opening presents, the excitement of seeing peoples' reactions to what you got them, spending so much time with family and loved ones. It's fantastic.

I hope all of you who celebrate Christmas out there had a wonderful time with it. And I hope all of you who celebrate Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus/Winter Solstice/etc. had/will have a great time with your celebrations.

I am currently up trying to decorate a paper star for the Christmas celebrations my dad's side of the family has. We always do a gift exchange where you get someone's wish list without their name, so you don't know who you're buying for. Then, we take turns opening a gift at random and everyone has to try to guess who's gift it is. The person who guesses the fewest gifts correctly has to host Christmas the next year.

This year my Aunt also decided to have a different contest. We each have to decorate a paper star however we choose, and then everyone gets to vote on their two favorites. Whoever's star gets the most votes gets a prize. I'm completely stumped about what to do for mine. I have a bag full of cloth scraps, so I'm thinking of cutting them up and pasting them on the star in a mosaic sort of way.

We'll see how that works. Maybe I'll post a picture in my next entry.

Thank you all for the kind thoughts about my boyfriend's surgery. It went really well and he was able to get out of the hospital the next day. He's been home and recovering and doing great. I'm going to visit him next weekend. I'm really excited about it.

I was really amused by your holiday celebrations. TS - your Christmas taco plans made me laugh. I hope they went well, and I hope you got the snow you were looking for! Kal - Thanks for the positive thoughts. And thanks for always giving me a positive word or two. I hope this mention fulfills your "Christmas wish"! (Although, I hardly believe that me mentioning you in my blog was what you wanted for Christmas!)

I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season, and I hope all of your wishes come true!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

I Survived!

Location: Home
Listening to: The Proposal
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Humbug Day; National Flashlight Day; Look On The Bright Side Day



I find it ironic that it is both "Humbug Day" and "Look on the Bright Side Day". Funny stuff, right there.

So, I'm home now. Finally. I survived finals, and I'm pretty happy with how I've done on my exams so far. I think I might pull out of this semester with all A's and a B in my least favorite class.

None of my exams were too challenging, thankfully. The only one I studied for was Global Perspectives (the class I ranted about ad nauseam in my last post). I was kind of annoyed because I was really looking forward to filling out a class evaluation for that professor so I could tell her just how much her teaching methods failed me, but she was the one professor I had who didn't offer an evaluation.

Thanks to everyone who shared their awful teacher memories. CSmith, your tech professor sounds terribly boring. I'm glad I didn't have to suffer through anyone like that this semester. And TS, your story about a teacher you never had constantly creeping on you was hilarious (and mildly disturbing).

Anyway, my last final was yesterday, and I drove back home today amidst some crazy fog and some other interesting weather conditions. It was snowing and raining and windy and just overall ridiculous when I started out. I survived, thankfully.

Tomorrow I have big plans. My boyfriend is getting some pretty scary surgery - he's having a piece of his skull removed because his cerebellum is pressing against it and giving him really awful headaches and other problems. To distract myself from worrying, my friend Danye and I are going to spend the day watching whatever is on ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas, and then go to Walmart and Taco Bell in prom dresses.

I'm sure there will be photos. I might share some.

This week is crazy busy with holiday festivities for me. What are you guys doing? What are some of the traditions you celebrate for the holidays? I'd love to know!

As always, thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful week.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Holy Finals!

Location: Dorm Desk
Listening to: 'Benny's Dispatch' from In The Heights
Today's Odd Holidays: National Maple Syrup Day




Hey Blog! So, I've officially made it through over half of my finals. I just have to wait out the weekend to take one more on Monday, and then I'm off to home and a glorious month off of school. Of course, the one I have on Monday is the one final I'm kind of dreading.

At my college, we are required to take some specific General Education classes. For one requirement, we have the option to take Historical Perspectives, which is kind of an analysis of how views have changed over the course of American history, or Global Perspectives, which is an analysis of how views are different from around the world.

I opted to take Global, because I figured it would teach me some information on cultures from around the world that might be helpful in my future career as a journalist. Due to some weird quirk of fate, I was landed with the worst professor on campus. She's crazy. She started our first class off by coming into the room five minutes late, plunking her stuff on the table up front, and saying, "You don't want to be here, I don't want to be here, let's just get through this."

Things did not improve through the rest of the semester. Map quizzes are a standard in every Global class, no matter who your professor is. Unlike other professors, though, ours did not give us a word bank, multiple choice, or any kind of help. In fact, she purposefully tested us on at least one place every quiz that was not on the list we had to study from.

Our professor doesn't really teach. She reads off powerpoints and talks about her experiences working with UNICEF in Sri Lanka or being a tourist in China. She offered extra credit for kids who brought her Starbucks coffee cups from parts of the world she hadn't yet collected them from. It was a total joke. She always tests us on stupid, ridiculous things that we never learned and asks questions with more than one correct answer.

Needless to say, I am not looking forward to this final. Especially because it's my last one. I already wish I was done. Making me stay an extra weekend is only going to make it worse.

Ranting just now has made me curious: What was the worst teacher you ever had like? I want to hear your stories.

I hope you all have a great weekend! And for anyone else taking finals right now, good luck!!!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Snow = Love

Location: Desk
Listening to: ABC Family
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Ice Cream Day; Violin Day




This is currently the view from my window at school. I know I've posted pictures of this view before, so if you have time, you should try to look at them all in sequence. Somewhere under all of that white powdery stuff, there is quite a lot of concrete, including a hill, a curb, and a road. Try to spot where they are! I bet you can't.

I love snow. So much. It makes the world seem so sparkley and magical. Like, everything seems fresh and clean and new. It makes me want to sit inside and be cozy and run outside and play like a small child all at once.

Finals are upon us. I have two tomorrow during my regular class times, then a study day Wednesday, then one final each day on Thursday, Friday, and Monday. Then I finally get to go back home! I'm so excited. I don't think any of my tests will be terribly hard, so that should be nice. I'm hardly even stressing. Hardly.

I hope you all are having a marvelous winter so far. Have any of you seen your first snowfall of the year yet? What do you think of it?

Friday, December 10, 2010

Finalsfinalsfinals

Location: Dorm desk
Listening to: Commercials on TV
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Human Rights Day.




Hello, Blog! I am so, so sorry to have been neglecting you lately. It rips me apart that it's been nine days since I last wrote! Especially because I have some sweet and entertaining stories for you.

One of the many reasons (in addition to finals, work, my social life, and being a lazy bum) that I haven't written lately is that I've been sick. Last week, I had a bad cold, but it seemed to have gone away. Then Brad got a really bad cold. He was coughing like no other and had the chills so bad one day that he couldn't get out of bed because anything that wasn't buried under his blankets was too cold. So I went over and took care of him (I made him soup and got him medicine and just sat and hung out with him for a while).

But my attempt at being a good girlfriend eventually got me sick with whatever it was he had. So for the past week I've been blowing my nose left and right, coughing frequently, and overall just feeling like crap. Tuesday night, I went over to his apartment to watch a movie and ended up sleeping there because I started getting chills and he was worried I was coming down with what he had. I ended up spending all of Wednesday there, too, after coming down with what is probably the worst cold I've ever had. But he was so sweet. I had a low fever and he was ridiculously worried about it. He went to class and came back with soup for me, and that night he had to go to a concert for a class and went and got Culvers for dinner. We'd gone there once before with my friend Jess and I always get the same thing: a chicken tender kids meal with ketchup. I usually only use one side of ketchup, but he wanted to make sure I had enough, so he brought back four.

It was adorable. I like him a lot.

So I've been pretty busy with that.

The other day I had my first trip to our campus health center. It was unrelated to the cold, but I won't get into the messy details. It was kind of funny, though. The nurse/doctor lady was so sweet and made me feel really comfortable, which was nice because I hate going to the doctor and I was nervous because I'd never been there before and wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

So anyway, I got put on a short antibiotic kick and I keep worrying that I'm going to have a reaction to the medicine because I have reactions to other medicine and it's weird to take something that wasn't prescribed by my family doctor and not to have my mom around all the time in case something does happen.

(Oh, anxiety, how I've missed you...)

Finals start this coming week. I only have three that I have to take, which is nice. And two of them are bound to be really easy. There's one I'm a bit worried about, but I'll just be glad to have it over with. I'm so looking forward to being able to be home for a decent stretch of time.

I think that's most of the big updates of my life for now. I probably won't update again til after finals. I have a feeling things are going to be kind of crazy until then. It's supposed to be snowing like crazy this weekend, so I'll pretty much be on cloud nine.

What's new with you guys? I'm curious to know. How is your winter so far? Anything wonderful and exciting happen? I hope so. :)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Happy December!

Location: Dorm Desk
Listening to: Christmas Music
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Eat A Red Apple Day; World AIDS Awareness Day


Hello, Blog!! How are you all today? I hope you are as wonderful as I am. Today is the first REAL snowfall of the year in my college town. Above is the view from my window. I am so excited. I adore snow. I love it passionately and would probably marry it if you could marry a type of weather.

My roommate and I are sitting in our room listening to Christmas music and feeling cozy and happy. Last night, Brad made me some fantastic hot chocolate. This is for sure my favorite season of the year.

December brings many things that I both love and loathe. It's the time when everything becomes snowy and magical. It looks so beautiful and makes everything seem shiny and new and glorious. It brings Christmas and time with family and friends and winter vacation. It brings the season finale of America's Next Top Model (which I am highly anticipating after a brief consideration of boycotting because Kayla got kicked off).

Sadly, it also brings bitter cold, which makes it really difficult to motivate myself to get out of bed and go to class. It also brings finals.

I normally don't stress over testing. I retain knowledge pretty well and usually don't have problems spitting facts back for tests. But I don't know what to expect for college finals. I mean, thankfully, all of my finals are just the test for the last unit we covered in class. And three of my finals have been cancelled, so I only have three to go to.

But grades seem so much more important now. My major has a required GPA, so I need to keep my grades up so I can do what I want to do. I'm worried that I'll bomb a test or a project and totally kill my grade point average. It doesn't help that I've never been one for studying, and now that teachers don't actively try to get you to work on things outside of class, I hardly give my class work a second thought.

Ugh. Oh well. I'll survive. I still have a few weeks until finals actually roll around. And I'm sure when they do I'll be a huge ball of stress and anxiety (which will probably be super pleasant for everyone around me). But for now, I'm just going to cozy up in my dorm and enjoy this beautiful snow.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

To Do: Eat Until You Explode

Location: Bed (home)
Listening to: Cheesy top 40 music on the radio
Today's Odd Holiday(s): National Parfait Day; That Day Where American's Worship Turkeys (Thanksgiving)


Hello, Blog. How are you today? Got big plans? I know I do. Today is the day I plan on eating until I physically explode from consumption. Because today is the day we, as Americans, celebrate our survival of the first hard season on the soil of this great country we now know as the United States. What we usually don't celebrate is what happened to the folks who were already living here when we got here (if, for some reason, you are unaware, let me summarize: exploitation; spread of disease; rape; death; etc.).

If you ignore that bit of unpleasantness, the holiday really does have a nice sentiment. It's one day to focus on what you are grateful for in your life. And, this year, I have a lot to be grateful for. This is one of those times when a list will be easier, so that's what I'm going to do.

What Abbie Is Thankful For This Thanksgiving:
  • My health. As some of you might remember me mentioning, a year ago today I started having this huge series of panic attacks. It lead to me missing about two months of school, because the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. My only symptom was that my heart would just start getting fast at random times. Eventually, I got things under control. Since then, I haven't had any serious health issues, which I am extremely thankful for.
  • My family. This is a given. I love my family to no end. We've gone through a lot this year, what with my grandpa passing and some other small hardships, but I think it's brought us closer. I love that my mom's side of the family almost all lives in our town, so I get to see them all of the time. And I love how, when we see my dad's side of the family a few times a year, it feels like no time has passed since we last saw them.
  • My friends. My friends, old and new, are wonderful. Over the past year, I've grown apart from some and grown closer with others. I've rekindled friendships I thought had long since ended and sparked brand new friendships that I hope will last for a really long time. I don't know how I would have survived a lot of things without the love and support of my friends. I love them all.
  • My boyfriend. Ok. I know we've only been dating for two weeks. But he's amazingly sweet and nice and fun and wonderful and easy to be around. He makes things a little easier and reminds me not to take everything quite so seriously. And he makes me happy.
  • My job. A lot of college kids are not fortunate enough to have a job, let alone one on campus where you get to do things you love and that apply to your future career with an awesome boss who is very kind and laid back. I may not get a ton of hours or get paid a lot, but I get paid enough to pay for gas and my credit card bill. And I think that's all that really matters.
  • My talents. I don't want to get into this one because I'm afraid it will sound like bragging, but I'm thankful for all of the things I can do well.
  • Having enough to eat/Having a nice home/Being able to go to college/Being able to vote/Having everything I need to live and wonderful people to share it with.
  • You. Blog readers, I'm not sure you know quite how much you mean to me. I really appreciate how kind and funny and just overall wonderful you all are. You're so nice and just plain awesome. I don't know why you like to read my ramblings, but I totally love that you do. You give me the best advice when it comes to my life, and I think you might know me better than some of my friends. So thank you for being you.
Well. I think that was enough sappy cheesiness for today. I hope you all have a wonderful, beautiful day. If you're in America, go stuff yourself with turkey and potatoes and rolls. If you're not, go stuff yourself with other delicious food. And no matter where you are, spend some time today thinking about what you're thankful for. If you want, share it with me. I'd love to hear!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Bear Party

Location: Desk
Listening to: ABC Family
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Button Day; Have A Party With Your Bear Day
Followers: 24!!!!



Welcome, Brittany Ciara!!! I'm so glad that you're now a part of my blog community. I hope you enjoy it! :)

I had a difficult time deciding which picture to go with for today. Obviously, Party With Your Bear Day is pretty unique. I wanted to do something related to that. Apparently, it's a day to chill out with your favorite teddy bear. And I found a really adorable picture of two ratty old teddy bears on a rocking chair wearing party hats. And then I found this.

Tough choices.

Thank you all for the wonderful and supportive comments on my last post. Brad and I are officially dating now. He's really nice. But that's all I'm going to say for now, because I don't want to be one of those girls who gets a boyfriend and then can't talk about anything else.

School is starting to get to the stressful time period known as finals. I have several tests and papers due this week and a few more next week. Then I get a nice, long weekend for Thanksgiving (which I'm looking forward to so much), and then back for a few more weeks and a slew of tests.

Last weekend, I went home to see the musical at my former high school. It was so surreal to be watching and not on stage. Especially because the show they did looked like it was a blast. I was so proud of everyone, because it really was a wonderful performance. My second cousin was one of the smaller leads, and he totally stole the show. And my friend's little sister (who is pretty much like my little sister) had this solo at the beginning of one song, and I got chills. It was incredible.

This is going to sound terrible, but I didn't realize how little I miss people I thought I'd miss like crazy until I saw them in person. I was looking forward to seeing some of my best friends, who I haven't seen since August, so badly. And then I saw them and didn't really care.

I wonder if it's because I still talk to them a lot, or because I simply have new friends here that make it kind of seem less significant when I see my old friends. There were some people who I was absolutely ecstatic to see.  It just kind of baffled me that I didn't care that much about some of my other friends.

Well, I think that's all I have to say for now. I might not update much for the next week or so, until I get home for Thanksgiving. But I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Best Night Ever

Location: Dorm desk
Listening to: The sounds my computer makes
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Veteran's Day




First off, I don't know if any of you darling readers of mine have fought to defend your country or know anyone who has, but I would just like to thank all of the men and women out there who have served in defense of their homeland. I don't care if you're from the USA or some other country, it takes a lot of bravery to risk your life in defense of anything, let alone a population who may never know your name.

So thanks.

Now that I'm done being sentimental and grateful, I have a really nice story to share with you guys.

Remember Brad? He's the guy from my History class who's a few years older than me who let me guest co-host his radio show, and subsequently has flirted with me to no end. I think I even may have mentioned how he asked me out a week or two ago after I hung out with him for a while.

Well, about a week ago, he told me to make sure I was free tonight because we were going on a date. And it was a surprise date. He wouldn't tell me anything about what we were doing except that it was outside of the town our college is in, it wasn't going to involve watching a movie, and there were potentially up to three stops we were going to make.

So I spent all week trying to figure it out, and I couldn't come up with any ideas. He mentioned that it was something we'd talked about, but we've talked about so much that just about anything was an option.

So today finally came, and he came and picked me up around 3:30 and we started driving. He told me that our first destination was about a half hour away, so we spent the car time talking and singing loudly with whatever song we picked on his iPod.

After the half hour in the car, we pull into this tiny town that I'd heard of but never been to before. It had those classic looking storefront buildings. And we get out of the car and wander up and down the street until Brad goes, "Oh! There it is!" and leads me over to this amazing bookstore. It's a used and rare book store, with piles and piles of books everywhere. I'd mentioned it once to him in a brief conversation, and he'd totally remembered. So we wandered around there for quite a while. There are two cats who live in the store, so we played with them and browsed all kinds of really old (and quite a few relatively new) books and assorted other items.

We finally left the store and started driving again. I knew we were going to dinner, but Brad had to stop at his work (a skydiving place) first to check something out. So we get there and he takes me inside and introduces me to a few people he works with and shows me around and does what he needs to do. We don't stay there very long.

When we're back in the car, he informs me that his work was originally supposed to be our third stop. He was going to drag a couch into the field behind the office building, and we were going to stargaze and cuddle. Except the weather wasn't cooperating and it was too cloudy to actually see the stars. I told him that it was a really cute/sweet idea, and then we went on to get dinner.

After dinner (at this really cute restaurant/pub called The Fork In The Road, where I got macaroni with chicken, spinach, and tomato), we drove back to campus. Or, at least, I thought we were going back to campus. Except he turned somewhere different and we ended up at this lake. Across the lake, you could see houses with the lights on and they were reflecting and it was really pretty. The sky was still kind of pink from sunset. We just wandered around the lake edge for a while. He picked me up a few times and pretended he was going to throw me in. At one point, I accidentally stepped in the lake, about which he's still teasing me.

There was a playground by the lake, so we went on the swings and played tag for a bit. On our way back to the car, we discovered this little bridge over a small waterfall, so we walked out on it. We ended up sitting out there for a while talking and playing truth. By the time either of us checked the time, we'd been out there for almost three hours.

And it felt like barely half an hour had gone by.

It was such a great time. Definitely the best date I've ever gone on. I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of tonight, I was no longer a single lady.

Goodnight, blog. I hope you had as wonderful as a day as I did.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Exhausting

Location: Desk (home)
Listening to: Nothing
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Book Lovers Day; Marooned Without A Compass Day; Saxophone Day




First of all, I would really like to thank everyone for their sympathy, wishes, and thoughts. I was really touched by your responses to my last post. It really means a lot to me that you guys care so much even though if we ran into each other on the street, we would have no clue who the other was.

This weekend has been the longest ever.

I skipped classes on Friday so I could come home Thursday to be with my family. For those of you who didn't get a chance to read my last post, my Grandpa passed away on Monday. He had a stroke three years ago and has been in a nursing home since. They figure he had another stroke. It was quick and probably painless, which is good.

Yesterday we had the visitation. Seeing my Grandma crying and kissing his forehead is the saddest, most heart-wrenching thing I have ever seen in my entire life. My Grandma is the sweetest woman alive, so seeing her (and the rest of my family) that sad was so hard.

Today was the funeral. My grandparents are both devout Catholics, so the service was at their church in a traditional Latin mass. It was beautiful and poignant. I've never had anyone close to me die before, so I'd never really experienced anything like this.

I don't want to dwell on the sad, though. My Grandpa was a funny, happy man, so I'm sure he wouldn't want me to be spending too much time on these sad thoughts. So I'll tell you a happy story.

Brad and I are kind of dating. We've hung out a lot in the past week. He's been really kind and supportive in the wake of my Grandpa's death, and he's been there for me constantly. We went for a walk on Tuesday. Wednesday I made him watch America's Next Top Model with me and my roommate. And he did. And he didn't complain about it and included my roommate in conversations and was really friendly and nice. She approves of him, which is saying something because my roommate doesn't approve of many people.

He has also made plans for Thursday. Surprise plans. Apparently they're pretty elaborate. The only hints I've been given are that it might involve his place of work (which is a skydiving place, but it's only open on the weekends, so I'm not really sure what we'd be doing there), and in the best-case scenario, we'll be making three stops including dinner. Worst-case, we'll be making one. And everything is based on something we've talked about. And the plans are designed specifically so we can do something together besides watch TV or go on a walk.

Apparently this is the first time he's made such elaborate plans by himself. I'm excited and extremely curious. I can assure you that you guys will be getting an update probably as soon as I get back on Thursday night.

That's pretty much the extent of my life right now. School and talking to Brad. Not very exciting, but I'm happy with it.

Thanks again for all of your kindness. I really appreciate it.

Monday, November 1, 2010

What Happens When We Die?

Location: Desk
Listening to: How I Met Your Mother
Today's Odd Holiday(s): All Saint's Day





I wanted to find a picture of my grandpa for today. For a lot of reasons. But mostly because about ten minutes ago I got a phone call from my dad telling me that my grandpa passed away today. And because the holiday fits really well with who he was.

Today is All Saints Day. And my grandpa was a wonderful guy. Saint-like, almost.

My grandpa's family is strongly German. He grew up on a dairy farm and spoke German until he started elementary school. I don't really know how or when he and my grandma met, but I'm sure it was an adorable story. That would only fit, because they're both adorable people.

My grandpa was a hilarious man. One of my most prominent memories as a child was of Christmas on my mom's side of the family. Our family is really close, so we'd all go to my grandparent's house on Christmas Eve. My grandpa would dress up as the Christmas Cow. He would put on this ridiculous cow suit and carry a basket of string cheese and pass it out to all of the kids. I can't remember if we thought it was him or not, but it was pretty much one of the coolest things ever.

A few years ago, my grandpa had a stroke. I've always blamed my self a little, which I know is ridiculous. But I was supposed to be staying with him and my grandma while my parents drove my sister to the airport to see her off for her semester abroad, and I was mad that they didn't trust me to stay home by myself overnight. I wished and wished that something would happen that would let me stay home alone.

And the day they left, shortly after my grandma was supposed to pick me up and bring me to her house, I got a call from my mom telling me grandpa had a stroke and I'd have to stay home alone and was I ok with that?

Be careful what you wish for.

Since then, he's been in a nursing home. He never recovered fully. The past few years he couldn't really speak and was wheelchair-bound. What they think happened today was he had another stroke and it took him. They're not sure yet, though.

I've never had a close family member die before. This is weird for me. My dad's dad died when I was a baby, so it really didn't impact me much.

I just keep thinking about my grandma and how terrible this must be for her. She was always there for my grandpa, even after the stroke. I know things were hard and she put up a huge fight to be able to be his custodial guardian, but she never left his side. And she visited him every day. And we brought him home almost every weekend for a family gathering.

And I keep thinking about my mom and my aunts and uncle, and how hard this has to be for them. They lost their dad. It was sad enough to see them all after the stroke when he was still in the hospital. Everyone was so sad. There were so, so many tears. It hurts to think about.

I guess he's somewhere better now, though. Somewhere where he's not stuck in a wheelchair or struggling to communicate. I don't really know what I believe about what happens when we die. Maybe he's in heaven. Maybe he's a ghost. Maybe he's being reborn and starting a new life as a baby somewhere. But I have to believe that there's something. I can't even fathom that everything just ends.

All I can hope is that wherever he is, whatever happens after we die, he's happy.

If you're religious at all, please pray for my grandpa and my family. If you're not, keep us in your thoughts. I don't usually ask for things like this, but I feel like I could use a little support. I'm not really sure what else to do.

I'll post again soon when I have happier things to say. And I know there are happy things in the making.

Thanks for being there. Thanks for reading. And thanks for being awesome.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Douchebags

Location: Desk
Listening to: Jerseylicious (don't judge me...)
Today's Odd Holiday(s): National Candy Corn Day; Mischief Night



So, today I was rereading some stuff I wrote in notes on Facebook, and I found this little gem. I wrote it last April. College has only proved to me how incredibly accurate I was. Read and enjoy!



This was inspired partly by the fact that we're doing demonstration speeches in Speech right now (I very nearly used this as my topic), and partly by the fact that boys are frustrating me right now.

How to Identify a Douchebag

1.) The D-bag is a stylish creature. They tend to dress in trendy clothes including (but not limited to): polo shirts, distressed denim, and aviator glasses. A stereotypical douche may also wear a visor turned upside-down and to the side. However, do not be fooled! Douche's possess the ability to camouflage themselves, making it nearly impossible to distinguish them from normal guys simply by appearance.

2.) In more cases than not, Douchebags will play some kind of instrument or another. Usually the electric guitar. He will probably believe that he is more skilled in this instrument than he is in reality, but occasionally he may be an exceptional musician. The musical D-bag will probably be part of a band with a name like "FireStorm" or "East Coast Block Party". He will probably play music that he considers extremely profound, with lyrics about the girls he has dated or things he believes will make him seem "sensitive". Probably, this music will make your ears feel minorly assaulted, as it will be nonrhythmic and posses a small amount of either unnatural screaming or shrill high notes that don't quite qualify as falsetto. It will be the kind of music his fellow Douches will sway back and fourth and bob their heads to. This is known as "The White Boy Shuffle".

3.) Douchebags will take great pride in their vehicle. It does not matter if they have a super nice Mustang or a crusty old van. This thing will be their baby. If you insult it (even indirectly, even on accident) they will throw a hissy fit the likes of which most 5-year-olds wish they could achieve.

4.) These types of boys are pretty much toddlers with drivers licenses. They like getting their way, and they will let you know how upset they are when they don't. They pout and whine and pitch fits left and right. Most of the time, they don't have actual arguments for why they deserve to get their way. They simply know that they should, and think you should know it, too. They also very seldom work for what they want. Instead, D-Bags would love for it to just fall in their laps.

5.) This particular breed of boy has a very fragile ego. It's my belief that they evolve (or, maybe, devolve?) into Douches in order to protect their self esteem. Sadly for them, it just gives people more reasons to be annoyed/repulsed by them. If you insult anything he likes or believes, the D-Bag will take it very personally, perhaps even going so far as to break up with you or disown you as a friend for not sharing the same beliefs. They are very single minded this way.

6.) The Douchebag's natural habitat includes sports bars, high school cafeterias, and college quads. They like public places where they can pray on pretty, unsuspecting girls. They generally surround themselves with undesirable characters in an attempt to make themselves look better.

7.) Douches generally have "a thing". This may be a cause, a hobby, or an extremely strong opinion that they focus their personality around. This "thing" defines their existence. It gives them something they can always talk about and use to try and impress the ladies. Usually, it's something that could be construed as creative/sensitive, but in their case comes off as forced or cheesy. They may not even be genuinely interested in it. To them, it's something that will appeal to females in an attempt to help them get in their pants.

8.) The D-bag loves being ironic. He will attempt to dress in ways other people find unconventional/out-dated, listen to music no one listens to anymore (like 90's boy bands or bad rap), or pretty much do anything regular people will not do in order to make himself seem unique or different. He thinks it's cool to like the things no one else does, and as soon as someone else shows interest in something he enjoys, he'll stop liking it.

9.) This type of male is incredibly pretentious. They believe they know everything about every subject ever conceived by anybody, anywhere. Even if you are totally aware of what it is you're trying to do and know how to do it, they will attempt to correct you. Oftentimes, they won't even know what they're talking about. They probably just saw someone do something similar once and think they have the whole thing memorized. Douches often also try to teach you things you already know, because whoever you learned it from was wrong. Obviously.

10.) Douches come in all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. While this list contains some useful information that may or may not help you identify a Douchebag, it should be taken into consideration that, while some fall into a stereotype, not all douches are the same. Each is a douchebag in his own douchebaggy way. He will approach his douchebaggetry in whatever way he wishes, and may even be aware of his douchebagness. This will give him the ability to hide it if he thinks it will reflect poorly on him. But a douche is a douche, and they seldom change.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Spilling The Beans

Location: Desk
Listening to: Practical Magic on ABC Family
Today's Odd Holiday(s): National Mincemeat Day



Ok. I've never actually had mincemeat (or, as pictured above, mincemeat pie) but can I just say...um...ewwww. That does not look appealing in any way, shape, or form. It just looks...gross. Ick.

Anyway, I have decided that today is the day I let you in on my boy news. Partly because I just love telling the stories, partly because I've come to value your input and I want to see what you guys think of this. Because, honestly, I'm not really sure what to think myself.

Monday, October 11 - the day before my birthday. A boy named Josh (who I can't recall if I've mentioned before, but who I'm going to pretend you know everything about) who I'd been hanging out with for a little over a week came over to my dorm to hang out. We were eating some soup my mom sent back with me and chatting, when I looked at the clock and realized I had to change for an intramural soccer game. I told Josh this and he just kind of stood around. I really had to get going, and I was about to start changing with him standing right there, when he turned to me and said, "This is going to be awkward with your roommate right there, but do you want to go out?"

I was caught entirely off guard. I mean, I'd guessed that he liked me. He texted me pretty frequently and just gave me that "I'm into you" sort of vibe. But I really hadn't given much thought to how I felt about him. After all, I'd only known him for a week. So I replied with a diplomatic, "Maybe" and promises of explaining further after my soccer game.

So, after the game, I texted him and told him that "maybe" was not a polite way of saying no, but I said it because I wasn't sure of a lot of things. I didn't know if he meant go out as in "become his girlfriend" or go out as in "go on a date". I also told him that I didn't think I knew him well enough to be his girlfriend, but I'd be open to going on a date.

Instead of taking it, he got all whiney and started giving me crap about how it was awkward for him because he "put it all out there" and he's the type who just wants to "jump right in" and yadda yadda yadda. Eventually, when I think it became kind of obvious that I was not happy with him and his stupidity, he said, "I would like to go on a date though. I just wanted to tell you today because I think you're really great, even if you don't think the same of me. This is just a shitty feeling. So yeah. Sleep well."

What the hell. What kind of person tries that hard to make you feel bad? Not someone I'd like to date. Anyway, he hasn't talked to me since then, and I haven't made a huge effort to start a conversation with him.

During this whole ordeal, I was keeping David (the boy I kind of had a crush on) filled in, since he was partly to blame after stealing my phone and heavily flirting with Josh while pretending to be me. He told me that Josh wasn't worth my time and any guy who got mad at a 'maybe' only wanted one thing. It was nice and kind of comforting.

October 12 - my birthday. I had history through film, which is the class David is also in. When he got to class, he sat down next to me and took my phone and used it to text himself, "Dear David, you're hot and I want to kiss you passionately. Love, Abbie."

You can imagine how the rest of the night went. He was insanely flirty, sending me all kinds of texts about how pretty I was and how he just really wanted to kiss me. One of the things I wanted to do on my birthday was cross something off of my bucket list. He happened to read my bucket list and spotted that there was a thing on there about "kissing someone just for the hell of it." And he decided that's what he was going to help me with.

So after class, David gave me a ride back to my dorm. We got to his car and he put on "Transatlanticism" by Death Cab For Cutie - his favorite band and one of mine, also. He pulled into the parking lot behind my dorm, got out of the car, and walked around to open my door. I had my backpack, and he slid it off my shoulder before placing it on the ground, pulling me close, and kissing me.

I swooned a little.

After that night, we talked a lot the first few days. Slowly, though, conversation started lagging. We never seem to have much to talk about. It confuses me because, at times, I'm really interested in him. I want to learn everything about him and be his best friend and know him. Other times, I feel like he just flirts with me because he's just interested in one thing and I worry that I'm not sure if he flirts like that with other girls or if he ever actually means any of the nice things he says. As a boyfriend, he looks great on paper, but I'm not sure how things would pan out in real life.

Anyway, we're not officially together. And there's more.

Yesterday - October 25. A new guy has stormed into the picture. Well, not stormed so much as "snuck his way in without me really noticing and now he's there". His name is Brad. He's a senior, so there's a bit of an age difference. He's also, ironically, in my History Through Film class (the same one that David is in). He lives in the apartments behind my dorm, and my friend Jess and I started talking to him on our way back from class one night. We made him add us on Facebook, and since then, he and I have been kind of talking.

We have pretty similar taste in music and books, so we have a lot to talk about. When we got on the topic of books, I mentioned how I didn't have anything new to read here, and he told me he'd let me borrow something of his. But it was Tuesday (or maybe Wednesday) night, so I had to remind him to bring it to class today. So for the rest of the week, I obnoxiously IMed him and messaged him and texted him about bringing me the book. And in between my harassment, we had really interesting and amusing conversations.

Yesterday, I was talking to him about music. He cohosts a radio show on the campus radio station and mentioned that his cohost wasn't going to be there that night, so he was probably just going to be playing a lot of music. I discovered this awesome song yesterday ("Hey" by Backseat Goodbye) and he told me he might play it on his show. I freaked out and got really excited. Then he said he might even give me a shout out. And I got more excited. Then he said, "Or you could just cohost."

And I almost peed my pants.

One of the things on my (extensive) bucket list is being on the radio. I've always thought it would be fun to DJ, because I love music and I have a lot to say. So Brad talked to his program manager and it was fine with them, so I got to guest cohost his show.

So he met me by my dorm and we walked over to the station and he taught me some of the ins and outs of radio. It was a great time. He was really flirty through the whole thing, too. In between segments, he would read things off of my bucket list and tell me that he was going to help me with them. Or we'd look up things to use as segments for after the current songs. Pretty much it was hilarious and fun. I felt really comfortable around him by the time we were done with the show.

Today I was talking to him to remind him to bring me the book, and he kept telling me that he left it in his car and wouldn't be able to stop to get it before class. I told him I didn't believe it, so we decided to make a bet on it. He chose the bet: loser had to make/buy the winner dinner.

Needless to say, I was totally right. He did have the book with him, so now he owes me dinner. And he's decided that he's going to help me cross off "Watch all 6 Star Wars movies in one sitting" and "Learn how to cook" from my bucket list. So it appears we will be spending a decent amount of time together.

The thing is, I don't know how I feel about him, either. I mean, I'm really comfortable around him. He's easy to talk to and we have a lot in common. He's pretty average looking and mildly awkward at times, but so is everyone else. He seems really sweet and nice, but I also don't know him well enough to know if I should believe everything he says.

Ohhh, the joys of being a naive teenage girl.

What are your thoughts? If you were in my situation, would you pick one boy over the other? It's really strange having them both in the same class, especially because today David stopped by my room to offer me a ride to class (the weather is nasty - windy and rainy and cold). And I usually walk back to my dorm with Brad.

How would you handle it? Would you let them know that there was another guy and you were trying to decide? Would you wait to say anything until one of them formally asked you out? Would you just hang out with them individually and try to pretend like everything was normal?

I'm kind of at a loss. I've never really been in this situation.

Anyway, those are my big stories. I hope they were worth the wait! 

Monday, October 25, 2010

Epiphany

Location: Desk
Listening to: Backseat Goodbye (a wonderful acoustic singer/songwriter-ish band)
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Punk For A Day Day; World Pasta Day



I was just sitting at my computer, browsing through SayingImages.com when I came across this.

I can't believe how stupidly I've been approaching my love life. My entire life, I've been so worried about how people see me. I really want to impress people I admire, because I want them to admire me, too. This especially applies to guys I'm interested in. I only want them to see my best side, so I get shy and nervous around them - hardly attractive or flattering features.

No matter how hard I tried to be comfortable around guys, even ones I'd been dating for a while, I was always overwhelmed by this huge need to never look stupid. Half of being human means being stupid. That's what makes it fun. I have no problems being completely silly around my friends. Even around guys who I know like me, but who I'm not interested in back. But around guys I want to like me, who I'm interested in for whatever reason, I clam up.

I can converse with ease through text messages or e-mails or the internet. I have time to think and formulate responses to have the best combination of flirtatiousness and coyness and intelligence and humor. In person, though, I have a hard time thinking of things to say. I'm so afraid of sounding unintelligent or air-headed. I want people to take me seriously and see that I have wit and a quick mind. But it's hard to convince anyone of that when you don't say much more than, "That sucks." "Oh, really?" "No kidding." "Gigglegigglegiggle."

This one little image helped me realize that I need to take a little pressure off of myself. No wonder I have anxiety! I'm always trying to make everyone like me, and not even the real me. A fake, statuesque version of myself. That girl who is quiet and laughs uncomfortably at everything and can't think of how to reply to what a boy says...that's not me.

I'm loud. I'm obnoxious and sassy and strange. I do things that are silly and stupid, and I love every minute of it. I whine frequently about things beyond my control, I sing at the top of my lungs when I think no one is listening, and I dance around in my underwear (much to the discomfort of my roommate). I adore my friends and they love me back, even though they're totally aware of my flaws and imperfections.

I should start looking for a guy like that. One who I don't feel like I have to impress. Someone I can be totally me around and not care, just be comfortable. I need to take a chill pill (whoaaa, 90's cliches!) and let myself relax. If I keep myself as tightly wound around the guys I like as I have been, I'm going to have a hard time opening up to anyone. And what's a relationship without openness and honesty?

Nothing.

Phew, that was intense. I'm going to guest co-host a radio show on campus tonight with my friend Brad. I'm really excited for it. I'll let you know how it goes!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

College Is Strange

Location: Dorm Bed
Listening to: Zak Baggans be a crazy person on Ghost Adventures
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Make A Difference Day; National Mole Day; TV Talk Show Host Day


For anyone who had to take high school (or any level) chemistry, I hope you remember what a mole is. Not the little blind rodent that burrows underground. But Avegadro's number. 6.02x10^23. I don't really remember the significance, but I remember having to multiply things by it a lot.

(I wasn't that good at chemistry).

Anyway, today I had to work at an event at our theater, where I have work study. I had to hang out in the gift shop and check stuff out for people before the show, at intermission, and after the show. When I was on my way back to the dorms, I passed the strangest thing I have seen thus far at college.

There were three guys sitting at around picnic table. They had a hookah on the table and were taking turns puffing away at at. And they were also playing Jenga. One of them was discussing how he'd never played Jenga where you have to stack the blocks back on top of the tower after you pull them out, but how it made total sense.

I laughed really hard. I wanted to take a picture because it was so absurd looking, but I was pretty sure they would have noticed and probably been unhappy. Also, it was really cold and I just wanted to get back to my room and put some sweats on.

Nothing else that exciting has been going on. I got an A on my second Mass Communications test, and I'm pretty confident I'm going to breeze through the rest of that class. I've begun a penpal-ship with a friend from back home. Actually, with Exboyfriend #2/4. Hahaha. He knows about this blog, so if he reads this...um...hi! :) Anyway. There is potential for exciting things to happen for me. I'm being really flirtatious with one of the guys I've mentioned in recent entries. There have been some small developments. But I'm still trying to figure out the consequences of the developments, or if they're even significant. I promise I'll fill you in soon! Just hang with me for a bit. I promise it will be worth it!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Boy, Life Can Be Exciting

Location: Dorm Bed
Listening to: A Fiber One commercial and the kids across the hall talking
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Wear Something Gaudy Day




If Lady Gaga failed to accomplish the main goal of today's odd holidays, I'm pretty sure it has no real meaning. Seriously.

Anyway, life has been pretty exciting lately. My roommate and I went to go see this ghost hunter guy last night. His name is Chris Moon and he was speaking in town and we love Ghost Adventures so we went. It was soooooooooo cool. Did you guys know that before he died, Thomas Edison was working on a telephone to communicate with the dead? And that after his death, he communicated through mediums to complete this device and apparently it works freakishly well?

I'm kind of a skeptic, but I love paranormal stuff. It fascinates me. So listening to his stories and looking at his pictures and listening to the recordings he'd made over the past few years was awesome.

I feel kind of bad about going, though. I skipped going to a play that I was supposed to see for a class to go to the ghost hunter. Well, I didn't skip it so much as I didn't go. I had a ticket for Friday night but I got sick so I couldn't go. And then I was planning to go today, but when I checked yesterday I learned that there wasn't even a performance today. And I'd already planned to go to the ghost hunter. So I had this huge dilemma.

But then Allison told me this thing her dad says: "Nine times out of ten, you have to do the right thing. But one time out of ten, you get to do the fun thing." And she convinced me to use this as my one time.

So I did.

Bwahahaha!

Today I unlofted my bed. Our room feels so different. Much bigger. Much roomier. Much more places to sit.

I do have some exciting boy news, but things are still developing, so I'd rather wait to tell you the whole story at once.

More later!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Happy Birthday To Me!

Location: Dorm Desk
Listening to: Transatlanticisim by Death Cab For Cutie
Today's Odd Holiday(s): MY BIRTHDAY!; Cookbook Launch Day; Moment of Frustration Day; Old Farmer's Day



Today was my birthday. It was really great. My roommate made me an adorable bracelet and I'm approaching 100 birthday wishes on Facebook.

Other wonderful things happened, but they're the type of wonderful that I want to keep for myself at the moment.

I hope you all had a great day, too. :)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

10/10/10

Location: Couch
Listening to: Some weird fantasy show on ABC
Today's Odd Holiday(s): National Angel Food Cake Day


It's October 10, 2010. 10/10/10. I think that's pretty cool. Two days til my 19th birthday.

Today was incredibly busy. I woke up, went out for coffee with my friend Danye. We chatted and got caught up and then went and got potato oles from Taco Johns (because that's what we do).

Then I went out for lunch with my friend Paige, followed by thrift store Halloween costume shopping. I LOVE Halloween. I think it's because I'm a theater kid. I've spent a lot of time getting dressed up for fun, so this holiday is probably one of my favorites. We went to our local Goodwill and tried on all kinds of ridiculous things. When I get back to school, I'll post some pictures. It was a fun time.

I ended up deciding to be an 80's aerobics person. I got bright blue leg warmers, a pink sweatshirt that I'm going to modify so it's all off-the-shoulder-y, and I have some green shorts I'll wear over black leggings. And, of course, a side pony tail. It's going to be pretty awesome.

After that, I went to dinner at my grandparents. My mom's side of the family does this thing where we have a huge birthday party each month for everyone who's birthday is in that month. October is probably the biggest. Me, my brother, my sister, my grandma, and two cousins were all born in October. So we went and ate some tasty food and opened presents (my haul: $50, travel Scrabble, Sunshine Cleaning, Australia, and Everything's OK by Ingrid Michaelson). Then I went home and sat around a bonfire with my family.

Then, I went out with my friends Dillon and Chee to update them on all of my crazy boy situations. We made a list of qualities in all of the guys who I'm interested in/are interested in me, and they concluded that David is a "no" and Josh is a "maybe". Our waiter was this guy named Ashton. He was hilarious and probably the best waiter I've ever had in my entire life. He kept coming to our table when I was in the middle of some stupid boy story, and eventually we just clued him in. He's 20, so only one year older than me. He told me that every guy I meet is going to be an idiot, and that he could introduce me to his friend. So he called his friend over and I pretty much died of embarrassment.

But he (Ashton, not the friend) was really friendly and nice. Chee and Dillon decided that he was flirting with me and such, and I definitely flirted back. So the boys made me do the writing-my-number-on-a-napkin-and-leaving-it-for-him thing. I guess we'll see if anything comes of that. I mean, I already have at least two boys chasing after me. What's one more?

Paige and C.Smith, thanks for the comments and birthday wishes! I'm definitely sensing the weirdness of being home after college. It doesn't quite feel like home anymore. Which is strange.

I'm really sleepy. I should go to sleep now. Go eat some angel food cake. It will make your day happy.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Location: Couch (at home!)
Listening to: Curb Your Enthusiasm
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Curious Events Day; Fire Prevention Day; Leif Erikson Day; Moldy Cheese Day




I figured this moldy cheese plush toy was much cuter than an actual piece of moldy cheese.

Today was weird. Good and bad weird. I'm back at home for the weekend to celebrate a bunch of family member's birthdays (including mine). I'm really excited to see all of my siblings cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents tomorrow.

Coming home today was the weird part for several reasons. So much of my life (as in, pretty much all of it) is at college now. That's where my social life is, where my new friends are, where most of my belongings are, where my life is. So leaving and coming home feels strange. Like, it's not really home anymore. It's just the place I stay when I'm not at school.

Although, I wouldn't exactly call school "home" either. I love it there, but I can't quite relax as much as I'd like. Living in a 12x12 room with another person doesn't allow much privacy or alone time. I don't really get the option to just lounge around by myself or have friends over for movies, because there's always someone else there who I have to run things past.

Coming back to my hometown was strange. Especially when I got to my house. As you may recall, we had to put my dog to sleep last week. We'd had him for 10 years, and he had been our doorbell that entire time. He would start barking as soon as anyone even thought about approaching our door. It was weird to come home and not have him there to greet me. It's going to take a lot of getting used to.

I did get to see some friends tonight, which was awesome. I miss everyone I hung out with in high school. It was strange being together and everyone talking about things from college and not knowing the back stories to everyones anecdotes. Especially because a lot of my friends go to the same college, so they all understood everything. It's just strange that everyone has these separate lives now and we're not all 100% clued in to everything that happens to everyone anymore.

My external hard drive died last weekend when Allison and I were building our fort, so I'm currently trying to reload my music. I'm taking a tip from a friend and using this as an opportunity to reevaluate my music. There was so much I used to have that I never listened to. I'm just not going to bother loading it. What's the point of cluttering everything up with something you're not even interested in just so you can look like you have a wide range of tastes? I'd rather just have what I want and not have to make a billion and ten playlists to sort out what I actually feel like listening to.

I hope you're all having a great weekend so far. Go eat some moldy cheese, be curious, prevent a fire, and do some research about Leif Erikson. You never know when that kind of trivia will come in handy.

Cal and C.Smith, thanks for your comments! I'm definitely going to start bringing my iPod with me to work, and the idea of asking my suitors to usher for shows is genius. I hope I get a chance to test it out!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Profound Thoughts

Location: Dorm desk
Listening to: Out Of My Hands (Live) by DMB
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Bald and Free Day; World Smile Day


I hope someone out there reading this is bald. If you are, show your baldness proudly for the next few hours. And smile at some people.

I had the most boring day ever at work today. I work in the office of the theater here on campus doing random secretarial jobs. Usually I just put things into binders and organize things and then I get to leave an hour before I'm supposed to be done (which is kind of impressive, because I'm only schedule for 2 and a half hours each day I work).

Today, however, I got stuck stuffing programs for the next show we're hosting. By myself. With no music or any sort of entertainment. So for two hours, I just had to stack one slip of paper on top of another and stick them inside a program and repeat. Tedious, mind numbing work. But it gave me a lot of time to think. And I came up with what I like to think is a really cool concept.

Plan for the worst, expect the best. I was thinking of this in terms of finding people to usher shows. We have volunteers who sign up to usher for most things and we have to call and verify whether or not they can still usher a week before the shows. If they can, awesome. If they can't, too bad, maybe next time. If they don't know, they get marked down as a maybe. If they end up showing up, great. If not, we have to have a back up plan.

I was thinking about this and it struck me: I've never ushered, but I hope we plan for the fewest number of people to be there. We divvy up the jobs and sections so that if only the four people who for sure said they'd be there could be there, everything would be covered. But you still expect all of the "maybe"s to show up.

Do you get what I'm trying to say? I'm not sure I make sense.

Anyway, I realized I can totally apply this to my life. Especially with these crazy boy issues I'm having (as in, there are too many boys and not enough information for me to decide who I actually want to continue to get to know and who I should cut off now before they get more interested or whatever). I should plan for the worst. Assume that none of them are going to be guys I'm interested in.

That way I won't go into any situation with any of them expecting it to turn into something fairy-tale-magical. I won't expect them to fall madly in love with me. I'll protect myself and them by just treating them as friends and nothing more.

And I'll expect the best. Getting to know them as friends will definitely let me know whether or not any of them have qualities I'm interested in or qualities that really turn me off. It will help me figure out if any of them are potential boyfriend-types without me feeling like I have to fawn and flirt just to keep them interested.

I don't even know if that makes sense. It does in my head. But things rarely translate well from there.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Are you sure today isn't "Surprise Test In Every Class" day??

Location: Dorm desk
Listening to: Family guy
Today's Odd Holiday(s): Do Something Nice Day; World Teacher's Day


It's a huge miracle that I survived today. I'm pretty sure I'm the poster child for Murphey's Law (everything that can go wrong, will go wrong).

I had two tests yesterday. One of them was in my hardest class. The one with the professor who just likes to talk about her expansive collection of Starbucks cups. I spent a good hunk of the day reading old assignments and looking at things in the book to try and study, but my brain wouldn't absorb anything. Sitting in front of the test felt like I was sitting in front of a firing squad.

I had another test today. After yesterday's debacle, I just wanted to get it over and done with so I could go and relax until my History Through Film class (which is the most entertaining class I have due to the awesome people in it). So I speed through the test (it was easy - Theater Appreciation) and stroll back to my dorm, where I instantly head for my computer to check my e-mail and waste some time on Facebook.

So I open up my e-mail and start sorting through junk and I see I have an e-mail from my History Through Film professor. So I open it up, thinking maybe class was cancelled or something. No such luck. Instead, it was a reminder that we had a test in that class, too.

FML.

It ended up not being that bad. I survived it. And I had one of the most entertaining things ever happen. David was sitting in front of me during the lecture part of class. I had my cell phone sitting on the desk in front of me and I'd been texting Josh, who I've been hanging out with recently. So David snatches my phone and begins to text Josh, pretending to be me.

They were totally flirting. Well, Josh was flirting. David was pretending to flirt. It was hilarious. Some examples from their conversation:

Josh: What are you up to this weekend?
David (as me): Oh, I think I'll probably just lay around in bed.
Josh: Why? The beds here suck.
David: My bed is awesome cuz it has me in it.
Josh: I'd have to agree with that.

and

David (as me): My phone is dying. I'll ttyl cutie.
Josh: Yeah! Have fun with the movie.  Cutie back at you!

Boys are silly. I told David that I didn't mind as long as he didn't agree to any plans without consulting me or screw up my social life in any way. He got really excited and hoped that Josh would ask me out so he could turn him down for me.

Oh, college. Such fun.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Antidote Anecdotes

Location: Dorm desk.
Listening to: Family Guy
Today's Odd Holiday(s): National Golf Day, National Frappe Day


Go drink some frozen coffee.

Anyway, I just have a short story to tell you. I was hanging out with my friend Josh who is as straightedge as I am (as in, he doesn't drink/drug/smoke). His roommate (who is also a huge straightedge) was going for a run and decided to swoosh some mouthwash and the following conversation occurred:

Josh: I didn't know that Listerine made you run faster.
Roommate: Not Listerine. I don't drink alcohol.

For some reason that made me laugh really hard. I've met a guy who's so straightedge he doesn't even use mouthwash that has alcohol.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Forts Are Awesome

Location: Inside the super awesome fort my roommate and I built
Listening to: Scooby Doo episodes
Today's Odd Holiday(s): International Frugal Fun Day; National Custodial Worker Day; Name Your Car Day



My roommate and I are winning at International Frugal Fun day. We decided to build a fort out of sheets and blankets between our beds. We're spending the day hanging out and watching TV in it and making everyone else on our floor super jealous. Because we have a kick ass fort. And they don't.

Also, we named my car Berta. Another win.

Life is pretty interesting lately. I keep meeting all of these really interesting guys. College is just full of them. It's crazy! I probably just think that because I'm being exposed to all of these guys that I haven't known since pre-puberty. But still. It's pretty cool.

The other day I hung out with this guy named Josh. He plays guitar and I play ukulele, so we were going to try playing stuff together, except I fail miserably at attempting stuff like that, so we mostly just sat around and talked. He seems pretty cool.

I think I'm gonna refrain from talking about guys for a while. There are too many of them running around and I don't want to just sit here and rant about them. Because it's starting to feel like all I talk about. Plus I don't want to sit here and gush about one after the other and make myself look bad somehow. Because that's what would happen.

And in the future if I do end up liking one of them and wanting to date one of them and they end up reading this, I don't want them to think I was chasing after every guy who looked my way. Because I'm not like that.

College is totally agreeing with me, though. I'm making so many new friends and I love most of my classes. Of course, I have the requisite one crazy professor. She looks like Bernadette Peters and sounds kind of like her and likes to rhapsodize about her collection of Starbucks coffee cups from all over the world. I have her for a global perspectives class from 3:45-5 and she always starts the class by saying, "You don't want to be here, I don't want to be here, let's just get through this."

I might play for an intramural soccer team, which would be awesome. I haven't played since seventh grade. So that would be pretty cool. I love soccer. It's definitely my favorite sport. And it doesn't require any hand-eye coordination, which makes it perfect for me!

I can't really think of anything else exciting to talk about. I'm gonna try to get some new videos up soon. I haven't really had time in the past month to do anything, but for some reason people keep subscribing to me and adding me as friends and all kinds of stuff, so I feel like I should get back out there. Any ideas for what I should vlog about?